What Is Maturity?

Disclaimer: The following is not written by someone in the height of maturity.

Here is the thing. Maturity is a remarkable thing. I recall people who have had a tremendous impact on my life through their maturity. What marked it out as mature was the measured way in which the person considered an issue, listened carefully before making concise and wise comments that got to the matter. Such was their effectiveness in this matter that I would be left speechless (true story) while I digested and acknowledged (eventually) the godly wisdom in their approach. That wasn’t just in their responses to me, but in their overall conduct and attitude to life. Such a remarkable display of the Christ in a person coming through.

One guy in particular I remember from my time at the YMCA was a beacon of this maturity. He didn’t look to impress by putting on airs and graces, his down to earth style was so warm and inviting, the profound things he said were not offered with the voice of a venerable sage. These were sound words of sense said in a matter of fact way that still penetrated the mind with their evident wisdom. He was so laid back about it too to the degree that such a character gave me hope that being at peace even in a tumultuous environment is possible. There were folks his age and older who didn’t get the memo about maturing in character. Some would continue with some outright rude behaviour and immature attitudes that has assured me in no uncertain terms that wisdom does not automatically come with age or experience.

So I am grateful for examples of maturity. I may not be there yet. There are certainly things that I need to work on and by His grace I shall improve. In the meantime it’s good to have role models who clearly show godly character is possible and in the middle of a mess, maturity is still a measure of a man worth pursuing.